Synology Photos as Alternative to Pictures on Public Clouds
Synology is a renowned brand in the field of network-attached storage (NAS) solutions, offering a comprehensive range of powerful and reliable devices. What sets Synology apart is its strong emphasis on user privacy and data protection. Synology ensures that users have full control over their data and can safeguard it from unauthorized access. Additionally, Synology NAS systems offer private cloud solutions, allowing you to store and access you data securely from anywhere while maintaining complete ownership and control.
I love the Synology products. It will be evident as I publish more articles here. It gives me a sense of security and privacy that I can’t have with cloud products. Other private cloud solutions that are robust enough have enterprise-level pricing. Synology is not cheap either especially if you choose a more robust model but much more affordable. I like
- The new DS723+ ($449 diskless) — See on Synology website
- Two 12TB NAS storage drives ($380 total)
- Two 16GB Memory cards ($170) — It comes w/ 2GB out of the box
- Total $999
Synology Photos
Synology Photos is a feature-rich and user-friendly photo management solution. It is designed to help users organize, store, and share their photo collections similar to Google Photos and iCloud Photos.
Data Ownership and Privacy
By utilizing Synology’s personal Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, you can store your pictures and videos securely in your own physical possession. Unlike cloud storage services, where data is stored on external servers and controlled by third parties, you can retain full ownership and control over your personal images. This adds layer of protection against unauthorized access or data breaches.
Privacy is a big concern for many of us, and that’s where Synology Photos truly shines. The platform is designed with advanced encryption and you can easily set up access controls to define who can see and manage your photo collections. Additionally no third party such as Google or Apple will be scanning your pictures hosted on your own Synology NAS.
Retain Photos at Full Resolution / RAW
One of the significant advantages of using Synology Photos to store and manage your personal pictures is the ability to retain your photos at their full resolution or in RAW format. Many photographers rely on specialized software for editing and retouching their images, and these tools often work best with high-resolution or RAW files. When you store your photos on a Synology NAS, you don’t have to worry about downsizing or compressing your pictures to save space.
Phone Pictures Backup
A key advantage of using Synology Photos to store and manage your personal pictures on a personal NAS is the ability to backup pictures directly from your cellphone. With Synology’s mobile app, you can have your photos uploaded from your phone to your NAS, ensuring that your memories are securely stored in a location that you control. This eliminates the need to rely on external cloud services like Google Photos or Apple Photos, where your pictures are backed up to their servers, potentially granting them full access to your private moments.
Additionally, utilizing Synology’s personal NAS for backing up pictures provides an extra layer of security. Cloud services can be vulnerable to data breaches or hacking attempts, potentially putting your private pictures at risk. However, with a personal NAS, you can implement security measures, such as encryption and access controls as well as physical controls for the NAS itself to ensure that your backed-up photos are protected from unauthorized access.
No Subscriptions Fees
Needless to say not having to pay a subscription fee is a major advantage. Unlike many cloud-based storage services that require a recurring payment, Synology Photos offers a one-time investment in a physical personal NAS device, and you’re all set. This means that you can enjoy the benefits of a robust photo management system including future software upgrades without the ongoing financial commitment. It’s a cost-effective solution that saves you money in the long run, allowing you to allocate your resources to other priorities or even expand your storage capacity without incurring additional fees.
No Advertising
Another compelling benefit of using Synology Photos on a personal NAS is the absence of ads. Unlike many free cloud services that display ads as a way to monetize their platforms, Synology Photos prioritizes your user experience. You won’t be bombarded with intrusive advertisements while accessing or managing your personal pictures. This means you can focus solely on organizing, editing, and relishing your memories without distractions. It’s a refreshing experience that puts your needs and enjoyment first, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the world of your personal photos.
Facial Recognition without Cloud
Synology Photos offers facial recognition capabilities; however, there are some areas where the tool can be improved. While the facial recognition is strong in terms of detecting many faces, it sometimes identifies unexpected background faces. Additionally, it may struggle with accurately categorizing the same person, requiring manual clean-up and merging of faces to ensure accurate listings. This initial clean-up process is crucial for optimal performance.
The benefit of performing this clean-up is that the tool becomes more effective in categorizing future picture uploads. Once the initial clean-up is done, subsequent additions should be categorized better. If you previously conducted clean-up using Synology Moments, most of the data should carry over seamlessly. However, if you haven’t done the clean-up before, you’ll need to go through the process of categorizing individuals initially, on a per-account basis, to ensure proper functioning of the facial recognition feature.
While Synology Photos does recognize faces, it may not provide the same level of user experience as services like Google Photos. With proper merging and categorization of faces, the overall experience can be similar to products like Google Photos (although manual tagging is not available). That said you own your own images and Google is not scanning you and all your friends. That’s a major benefit for me.
If facial recognition is an important feature for you make sure to get a Synology NAS model that supports the feature.
Cross Platform Support
Synology Photos is available across PCs, laptops, mobile devices, and Apple or Android TVs.
Secure Sharing
Synology Photos allows you to easily select the desired content and share it directly with other. This is called “Direct Sharing”.\
In addition to direct sharing, Synology Photos also enables you to create a Shared Space where you can share entire folders with others. This is especially useful for collaborative projects or when you want to share a collection of photos with a group of people. By enabling Shared Space, you can grant access to specific folders, ensuring smooth collaboration and easy access to shared content.
Another interesting feature of Synology Photos is the Photo Request function. With this function, you can create a request and share a link with others, allowing them to upload photos and videos directly to a specified folder or album. This is handy for gathering content from multiple contributors, such as for events or group projects. Anyone with the shared link can easily upload their files, simplifying the process of collecting and organizing shared media.
Try Synology Photos Online Demo
If you are still on the fence and want to try the application first hand, Synology has a demo of their DSM and some of the applications under it including Photos.
